In the past, managers of networks such as communications networks faced a severe challenge in trying to predict impacts of ever changing network capacity requirements. Particularly, user demand for applications operating via the networks, unit cost of network capacity, and logistics of network utilization may have substantial impacts on a preferred level of network capacity. The challenge becomes especially severe when new large-scale applications are rolled out which result in additional network utilization requiring additional network capacity. For example, an addition of an enterprise resource planning system (e.g., such as an ERP system R/3 sold by SAP) frequently results in a significant increase of network utilization and thus requires an expansion of network capacity. Meeting such a demand for additional network capacity within a global enterprise network is further complicated by differing logistics, service arrangements, and lag times for provisioning network capacity in each region or country.
Another complication of managing network capacity involves a need to balance between delivering an acceptable response time for applications operating via networks and avoiding a waste of working capital. As network capacity increases, users of networks may experience a faster application response time. Nevertheless, without careful forecasting and planning, increasing network capacity to achieve faster application response time often results in over-provisioning of network capacity, which may waste network resources and increase costs for maintaining networks.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods that provide advance information regarding future user demand for networks so that appropriate planning to expand or reduce network capacity is possible. There is also a need for systems and methods that predict network capacity requirements so that networks may remain adequate and efficiently utilized with respect to increased or decreased network usage. In addition, there is a need for systems and methods that anticipate a need for improved application performance in networks without over-provisioning of network capacity resulting in wasted working capital.